


put a price (on emotion)

by my_infinite_variety



Series: a runaway american dream [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek Hale, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Not Canon Compliant, POV Derek Hale, Pack Building, Pining Derek, Post-Nogitsune Stiles Stilinski, Road Trips, Slow Build Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Slow Burn, Stiles Stilinski Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:14:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23222332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_infinite_variety/pseuds/my_infinite_variety
Summary: derek pulls over for the night at a truck stop in idaho. stiles has a nightmare.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Series: a runaway american dream [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1669585
Comments: 6
Kudos: 84





	put a price (on emotion)

**Author's Note:**

> title is from harry styles' "fine line"

The rumble of semi-trucks in the parking lot of the truck stop is what keeps Derek awake deep into the night, if he tells that lie to himself enough times. 

He could use any other excuse, like the cold or the discomfort of sleeping in the front seat of his car. But his seat is barely reclined, his arms are wrapped around his ribs to keep himself warm, and he’s slept in far worse places. He settles for the trucks, just to give himself peace of mind.

Stiles lays in the back, his lithe body spread across three seats and his left knee bent upward to lean against the backrest. He looks relaxed, safe, content, but the beat of his heart has been creeping upward slowly for the past seventeen minutes. Derek resolutely doesn’t include this in his list of things that could keep him awake, even as his eyes stay locked on the rear-view mirror.

He doesn’t expect it when Stiles’ heartbeat spikes. He really doesn’t expect it when the pale boy sits upward with a cry, one hand reaching for his ankle and the other coming up to protect his face. The scent of fear is overwhelming, makes Derek’s lungs ache like they're filled with smoke, and it’s instinct to make it stop.

He’s in the backseat with Stiles (doesn’t remember how he got there) and the boy is cradled to his chest. Stiles doesn’t cry and Derek suspects he’s run out of tears for the next year. He sits silently against Derek, doesn’t reject the affection, and the wolf presses his nose against the top of Stiles’ head. 

He has never scented Stiles like this before, never found the place or the time, but the desire to make him pack makes his chest tighten. Scott wiggles his way into Derek’s mind, makes the possibility of finding a pack bond in Stiles an impossibility. 

Derek just holds him tighter.

**Author's Note:**

> don't forget to comment!


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